Milacki

SEATTLE -- Johnny Oates may be the most organized manager in baseball, but he expects to be more spontaneous as the pennant race heats up.Oates has the starting rotation mapped out until the end of the season, but he said yesterday that he will exercise more and more flexibility as the club's pitching situation evolves."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- As boos bellowed from the Silver Stadium crowd yesterday, Bob Milacki thought of a familiar place."It didn't bother me," said Milacki, who gave up a second-inning homer in his first Triple-A start of the season to prompt such a reaction. "That's nothing compared to what they did in Baltimore."But that similarity didn't last long. Milacki pitched seven solid innings to pick up the victory as the Rochester Red Wings defeated the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, 5-2, in the first game of a double header.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- When he lost his concentration over the past few weeks, Bob Milacki lost his spot in the Orioles' starting rotation. But if he finds his curveball, the 27-year-old right-hander thinks he could be back in the big leagues soon."

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Jerry Narron has served as Bob Milacki's catcher and his manager. Still, the Rochester Red Wings manager is waiting until he sees the right-hander pitch before he makes a judgment about what he needs to work on.Milacki is scheduled to start tonight for the Red Wings against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons at Silver Stadium."

The first few months of 1992 were very good for Orioles pitcher Bob Milacki. He won a $1.1 million salary from an arbitrator in February, and the second spot in the starting rotation in April.But as the year advanced, things soured for Milacki, and he was optioned to the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings yesterday. His spot on the roster will be filled by right-hander Richie Lewis, who was third in the International League in strikeouts.Milacki, 27, is the second Orioles starter to be moved from the roster in as many days.

The game-time temperature at Oriole Park yesterday read 89 degrees, allegedly the coolest day of the four-game series with the Minnesota Twins, but even in the shade of the home team's dugout, Orioles manager Johnny Oates said it felt a lot hotter."

About the only person at Oriole Park who got booed worse than Orioles starter Bob Milacki yesterday was the fellow on the club level who dropped the foul ball that landed right in his hands.For all anyone knows, that guy has been booed only once. Milacki, however, is starting to consistently get catcalls rained upon him whenever he takes to the mound at home.Yesterday's 9-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins was just the latest in a string of bad starts for Milacki, who might have relinquished his spot in the starting rotation.

If there ever was a time for Bob Milacki to shake his slump, last night appeared to be it. Winless in his four previous starts, Milacki was facing a Chicago White Sox team that he had beaten in two previous starts this season.But the third meeting would be anything but a breeze for Milacki, who gave up six runs in 3 2/3 innings in an 8-4 loss that dropped the Orioles four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East.And as Milacki (5-6) walked off the field to boos from the crowd of 45,451 -- the Orioles' 20th straight sellout -- he had to be wondering when his next start might be.That start for Milacki, who left the clubhouse early and was unavailable for comment, is scheduled for Sunday against the Minnesota Twins.

Using a combination of inside and outside baseball, the Chicago White Sox ran to six early runs against Bob Milacki en route to an 8-4 victory over the Orioles last night before 45,451 at Camden Yards.The big blow against Milacki (5-6) was a two-run homer by Dan Pasqua in the third inning, but it was a combination of singles and stolen bases that caused most of his problems. Four of the White Sox's five stolen bases came while the right-hander was pitching and were instrumental in all of the scoring in the first three innings.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Right-hander Bob Milacki got a reprieve yesterday. He will remain in the Orioles starting rotation and teammate Jose Mesa will move into the bullpen to work in long relief.Milacki, who had every reason to believe that he had lost his place in the rotation when Oates moved Storm Davis into today's starting assignment against the Minnesota Twins, will fill the spot start Tuesday night against the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards."I'm pretty happy about it," Milacki said, "but I'm going to have to pitch well to stay in the rotation.